


No Easy Love

by lrb



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrinette, DJ wifi, F/M, LadyNoir - Freeform, Marichat, adrienette - Freeform, i dont know what im doing with my life, ladrien
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-30
Updated: 2016-07-30
Packaged: 2018-07-28 07:32:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,233
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7630846
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lrb/pseuds/lrb
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Everything was fine, until it wasn't.</p>
            </blockquote>





	No Easy Love

**Author's Note:**

> Updated on tumblr before anything (liscoccinelle)!  
> Enjoy!

Everything was fine.

Since the day Marinette became Ladybug, life as Marinette became different. She was more confident and had everlasting luck riding on her back, and even though it was sometimes difficult to keep up the charade of living a double life, she managed. As Ladybug, too, it was not too difficult to keep her identity a secret. While many people wanted to know who hid behind the mask, she could send any investigators in the wrong direction with falsely planted clues. With her partner in fighting crime, she enjoyed being Ladybug. It was not always easy, but she handled it with grace.

Since the day Marinette became Ladybug, everything was fine.

Perhaps that was an overstatement. Every so often, an akuma came along, or Chloé instigated an argument, or Adrien made her too flustered to speak, but she always managed to triumph over the problem.

The day everything became not so fine, Marinette had been feeling superb. When she went down for breakfast, her parents greeted her with their usual smiles and kisses, and her mother had already set out breakfast for her. She brushed her teeth and wore her usual outfit, and in no time, she was out the door, skipping towards the school.

“Good morning, Marinette!” came a familiar voice once she made it to the stairs of the school. Adrien jogged up to her from his limousine, waving politely and offering a kind smile.

“Adrien!” she exclaimed, her thoughts getting jumbled. it really  _was_ a good day if Adrien was greeting her at the door. “Goob morging! I mean, mord–Good morning!” By the time she finished stammering out her own salutation, they were already at the top of the stairs and Marinette’s face was flushed a rosy pink.

Neither of them missed the way people watched them, whispering to one another behind cupped hands. However, neither of them acknowledged it, either.

The warning bell sounded out through the building and Marinette opened her mouth to suggest they should hurry, but she was quickly interrupted.

“Marinette! I need to talk to you!  _Now!”_ Alya demanded, already dragging her friend away from a rather puzzled Adrien.

“Alya!” Marinette whined, standing up and fixing her clothes. “We’re gonna be late!  _And_ you dragged me away from  _Adrien_!”

“I know what I did.” Alya stood before her with her hands on her hips, but she took a moment to hand her phone to Marinette. “I need to tell you something.”

The dark-haired girl hesitated in reading the article, her wary gaze focused on Alya. “What is it?”

“It’s about Adrien.” Suddenly, Alya seemed much less… like Alya. Her gaze dropped and she looked genuinely upset, something she did not show too often. “It’s all over the media, about him and that famous actress, Cerise Bellerose.”

Marinette skimmed through the article, pausing a second after she was finished. Then, without any outburst like Alya expected, she handed the phone back to its original owner. 

“Aren’t you…  _upset_?”

“No.” Marinette shrugged, sending a small smile to Alya. “He was only doing a photo shoot with her. I doubt they would start dating after one meeting.”

Alya seemed unconvinced for a moment until she sighed and tucked her phone away. “Look at you, all cool and collected. I’m proud of you.”

She beamed at Alya, even when the other ruffled her hair, and then jutted a thumb over her shoulder towards the bathrooms. “I have to go to the bathroom. Tell Mademoiselle Bustier that I’ll be right in! I have an emergency.”

“You got it, Mari.” Alya grinned. “Don’t take too long.”

With that, she spun around and jogged for the stairs, hoping to making it to class by the time the final bell rang. Once it did, Marinette entered the bathroom, checking the stalls for any lurkers before she tore open her purse. Tikki flew out and whizzed around her head before floating in the air in front of her.

“Tikki, what if Adrien falls in love with this girl?!” she shrieked quietly, hands over her mouth. “What if he’s  _already_ in love with her? There’s no way I can compete with a super famous actress like Cerise Bellerose!”

She could already picture Adrien turning his back on her in disgust and joining hands with Cerise, preparing for their wedding. It was terrible – she could feel Chloé cackling somewhere in the distance, too, because if she could not have Adrien, then neither could Marinette.

“You’re a superhero, Marinette!” Tikki reassured her, tiny arms thrown outwards for emphasis. “Do you think Cerise thinks she can compete with Paris’s hero?! Even as Marinette, you’re still very special! Adrien would be the luckiest guy in the world to have you!”

Marinette released a groan and sank to the grounds, hands planted on the tile flooring. “I’m going to grow up to be a single old woman with thirty cats.”

“Don’t put your hands on the floor, Marinette. It’s a public bathroom.” Tikki was satisfied when Marinette sat up straight and placed her hands in her lap, so she continued, “No! You’re going to grow up to be the greatest designer Paris has ever seen! Not to mention, you’re still going to be Ladybug! You’re going to grow up to be an amazing, beautiful woman, single or not!”

“You think so?” Marinette’s eyes were wide, though she knew her kwami would never let her be upset. Tikki nodded and Marinette grabbed her from the air, nuzzling her face against her affectionately. “I love you so much, Tikki! Thank you!”

“I love you, too, Marinette!” Tikki managed to speak through her giggles, but then she dove into Marinette’s purse and checked the time. “You better get to class.”

“All right.” Marinette nodded surely to herself. “I’ll just have Nino ask Adrien what’s up! Of course!”

It was easier said than done, though, since Mademoiselle Bustier declared it a silent period as they did bookwork. Every time she tried to speak to Alya, she would get caught and scolded, so eventually she ripped the edge of her paper and passed a hastily scribbled note across their desk:

_Tell Nino to ask Adrien what’s up with Cerise!! Please? :(_

Alya sent her a curious glance before scribbling something back, waiting until Mlle Bustier was not looking to hand it back to Marinette.

_So you are concerned!  
Don’t worry. I gotchu girl. ;)_

Marinette watched rather eagerly as Alya ripped an entire page from her notebook, wrote something in large, dark letters, and silently passed it to Nino in front of her. She also whispered something to him, but her voice was so low that Marinette could not hear her even in the silence.

It was like clockwork. Marinette asked Alya, Alya asked Nino, and now she watched Nino steal a neon sticky note from Adrien, scrawl out a quick message, and plant it in the center of Adrien’s book. Adrien flipped it and wrote his response on the back, passing it to Nino and returning to his work. They passed a few notes back and forth before Nino eventually passed one to Alya, who read it, and then passed it to Marinette.

_Just rumors. He likes someone else. No name. He says she isn’t in class._ Then, on the back of the sticky note, she noticed Nino had drawn a frowny face and wrote neatly,  _Sorry, Marinette._

She found herself passing one more note to Nino, an  _It’s okay!_ with a large smiley face next to the words, and she continued with her classwork. 

Nino and Alya glanced at her with worried looks and shared a concerned stare, having a silent conversation between them. They both knew it was unusual for Marinette not to be startled by the information, and they even expected her to have a sudden outburst, so her lack of a reaction deeply disturbed the both of them. Neither of them could exactly ask her anymore, though, since she seemed disinterested in passing any more notes.

Before their first class ended, Alya managed to slip one more note to Marinette.  _Are you okay? :( I’m so sorry._

Marinette glanced over at her and smiled, so convincingly, so deceivingly, and it actually reassured Alya for a moment or two. “I’m fine,” she mouthed without speaking, even going so far as to give Alya a thumbs-up.

Everything was fine.

* * *

Chat Noir distracted her for a little while, at least, when she donned Ladybug’s mask and endeavored on their nightly patrol for any signs leading to Hawkmoth. His usual jests and banter got her smiling a bit, and for that she was more thankful than he would ever realize.

“Keep up if you can, Kitty,” she called over her shoulder, a playful smile on her lips before she dove off the edge of the building. Soon enough, though, she was swinging through the streets of Paris, flinging herself towards the stars every so often.

“You know I can, My Lady,” Chat smiled, hot on her heels as he leaped across rooftops.

She looked at him the next time she was soaring through the air. Something about him seemed vaguely familiar, but not nostalgic to Chat – to someone else. Against the moonlight, she realized as she returned her gaze to the sky, his hair looked just like Adrien’s.

“Adrien…” she murmured to herself painfully. Speaking the name actually made her heart clench.

So stuck in the moment, she forgot she was falling. It was too late by the time she threw her yoyo towards the next building, missing by many meters. Her eyes widened in horror when the yoyo began falling with her and she realized that she was growing closer, closer, closer to the ground; she closed her eyes to prepare for the impact.

It never came.

When she peeked one eye open, and then the other, she saw that Chat Noir was staring worriedly at her, carrying her like a princess. His fingers pressed tightly against her and he held her close, as if he were afraid to let her go, and she understood why. She almost fell.

“Are you feeling okay, Bugaboo?” he questioned, genuine concern lacing his words. “This is unlike you.”

She pressed a hand to his chest and the other to her head, shielding her face from his view. He let her stand on her own, silently comprehending her gestures, and she turned away from him for a moment.  _I need to get a grip,_ she told herself, sucking in a deep breath.  _I can break down when I get back home._

Her smile was so easily feigned when she faced him again, but it faltered almost immediately upon seeing his expression. It was perturbed and attentive and so full of love, and it made her downright bitter. She should not feel that way, and she knew it, but it was unfair. Why did Chat have to look at her in such a way? Why couldn’t  _Adrien_ be the one sending her troubled, affectionate glances? 

She was taking it for granted. Sometimes, she doubted Chat’s feelings for her were one hundred percent serious, but he reassured her every so often with his flirtations and honest worry.  _I’m so upset that it’s not Adrien looking at me like that, but… Chat probably feels the same way about me._

“I’m okay,” she hummed, laughing a little airily. “Just a little tired.”

He looked dubious. “Even if you’re a little tired, you wouldn’t take a fall like that, Ladybug.”

“I like this boy,” she blurted before she could even stop to think about what she was admitting. “He doesn’t even know I exist, and he’s head over heels for somebody else, anyways.”

There was a lapse in the conversation, a long moment of silence that seemed to drag on for eternity.

_I shouldn’t have said anything,_ Ladybug thought.  _This is too close… too personal. We’re partners, and he’s my best friend, but there are lines that I shouldn’t cross and I just crossed one. I should’ve kept it to myself. Marinette, you’re an idiot!_

“He must be a real loser, then.” Chat Noir’s laughter brought her back to reality. He laughed, but there was pained tone to his voice.

“Huh…?” Ladybug was thoroughly confused.

“That boy doesn’t know what he’s missing out on, My Lady.” His smirk was mischievous, coquettish, just as always. “He could have Paris’s Ladybug by his side, and he’s skipping out on the opportunity.”

She frowned. “He doesn’t know that, though.”

“Even so,” Chat huffed, arms crossing, “you’re the most beautiful, elegant, intelligent, genuine, caring person a cat can meet, and I have no doubts that you’re the same without the mask. Whoever this boy is… he’s a real big idiot.”

Despite herself, Ladybug smiled. “He’s not,” she said, but there was no passion to her tone, “but… it’s just a silly little crush. I’ll be over it in no time.”

“I sure hope so, My Lady,” Chat mused, the sly grin never leaving his face, “because then you’ll realize your true prince has been here all along!”

Only when she pressed her forefinger to his nose and pushed him back did his smile falter, and although he was quick to correct it, Ladybug noticed. She refrained from commenting on it, though, instead settling for a farewell. “Goodnight, Chat Noir. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

When she departed, she could barely hear the end of his whispered “Goodnight” before she took her usual roundabout way back to her home. As soon as she ducked inside, she detransformed, allowing Tikki to zoom over to the plate of cookies and begin chowing down.

Marinette smiled tiredly at her kwami. “I’m going to get a breath of fresh air.”

“Do you want me to come with you?” Tikki’s eyes were shining and she looked so worried for Marinette.

“No, you don’t have to,” Marinette told her with a lazy shrug. “Finish eating. I’ll come back inside soon.”

The cold air began biting at her skin as soon as she walked onto her balcony, but she did not mind too much. In the cloudless sky, stars sparkled and winked at her, and the moon looked down at her, blanketing her in its soft light. A few blocks away, the city was still bustling with life, horns honking and people chattering, but most of the buildings around the bakery were dark and the streets, empty. It was good, though, because it gave her time to think without any distractions.

She leaned against the railing, her eyes focused on the glowing Eiffel Tower while she resting her chin on her hand. 

Adrien hurt her.  _No, I don’t have the right to say that._ She was hurt, indirectly, by him, but he would never do so intentionally. It was the fact that he was in love with someone who was not  _her_ , who was not clumsy, stuttering Marinette, while she had fallen for him long ago. She could not control whom he loved, though, she knew that.  _I guess rejection is just part of life’s troubles._

That brought her to her next point.  _I’m a terrible friend._ A frown etched its way onto her face, permanent, as the image of a familiar alleycat settled in her mind.  The moment she pushed him away, when his grin faltered for a split second and there was raw hurt on his face, kept replaying in her mind like a broken record. As much as he teased and as much as she shot him down, she knew how Chat Noir felt about her – at least, about the superhero half of her. He was cheeky, and flirty, and downright silly sometimes, but he respected her boundaries and her wishes, and he never failed to prove the authenticity of his feelings towards her. Still, knowing this, she stood there and babbled to him about the boy on whom she has a crush.  _How would I feel if Adrien did that to me? I’m the worst partner ever. The worst friend._ She felt shameful and she hid behind her hands, as if that would make the emotions disappear – or at least shield her from the outside world.

It did not, though, for moments later, she heard a rush of wind and soft footsteps behind her. Marinette spun around faster than anticipated, having to brace herself on the railing behind her as she stared before her with wide eyes. Chat Noir stood on her balcony, a friendly smile on his face, much unlike his usual coquettish grin, but she noticed that his ears drooped and his tail dragged on the ground.

“Are you okay?” they spoke at the same time, eliciting a short bout of giggles from either one. 

Marinette rubbed the back of her neck and looked away, towards the sky. “I’m fine,” she assured him, then turned a curious eye to him. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“I was in the neighborhood and I couldn’t help noticing that you looked a little down,” he explained, and then proceeded to try to lean coolly against one of the potted plants.  _Tried_. Instead, he pushed the plant off the edge of her balcony and flailed his arms wildly in the air before he managed to regain his balance. They stared at each other, Marinette amused and Chat a tiny bit flustered, until she heard the shattering of the pot on the street below.

She rolled her eyes but offered a warm smile nonetheless. “Thank you, Chat Noir.” It was truly uplifting that even without knowing her identity as Ladybug, he still cared for Marinette as a friend enough to check up on her. “I promise you, though, I’m perfectly fine. I just can’t sleep.”

“Okay! Well, if you ever need a big, strong hero…” He began rambling about himself, boasting, and Marinette tuned him out, using her hands to mimic him dumbly behind his back, like she had done on quite a few occasions. “…I’m always your friend.”

Marinette’s hands dropped to her sides and she stared at him, lips parted to say something, but no words came to mind. He glanced over his shoulder at her, a smirk on his lips, before yawning loudly and stretching his arms above his head. “Well, I better get going. I’ve got a long day tomorrow. Goodnight, Marinette.”

“Wait!” She found herself grabbing his wrist as he crouched on the metal rail of the balcony, startling him. Her gaze flickered to his flattened ears again and then she met his eyes, worry shown in her own. “You never answered me. Are  _you_ okay? Did something happen?”

He grinned at her, his ears perking immediately. “No need to worry, Princess! I’ve never been better.” Then he dove from her balcony, and she watched his silhouette move until it was out of sight.

When he was gone, Marinette sat down, her back against the fence and her face tucked behind her knees. He was just as good at feigning a smile as she was, but because of that, she could see through his facade. There was pain and sadness in his eyes, painted over with a smile, and it was  _her_ fault that it was there.

Tikki flew over to her, settling on Marinette’s shoulder. “Are you okay, Marinette?”

It was quiet for a few seconds, Marinette thinking everything through rather quickly, before she lifted her head and stared at the sky. “Everything’s a mess, Tikki.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!  
> Feedback is much appreciated.


End file.
